The Hoenn Safari Zone (Japanese: サファリゾーンSafari Zone) is a special Pokémon preserve where Trainers can enter to capture certain types of Pokémon. The entrance is on Hoenn's Route 121.

In Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, this Safari Zone is only accessible to Trainers participating in the Safari Game. In a Safari Game, players may only use Safari Balls, and rather than weaken wild Pokémon in battle, players must use non-conventional tactics to try and catch them. For 500, the player is granted entry and 30 Safari Balls.

In Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, the Safari Game has been removed, and players can enter the Safari Zone area without paying a fee. Pokémon found here are now collected through normal battles. Each area also now has both tall and long grass, and while encounters between them are mostly the same, two rare Pokémon in each area can only be found in one type of grass specifically.

Areas

In Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, the Mach Bike is required to reach the long grass within this area.

Area 3 is directly north of Area 2. This area can only be accessed with a Bike.

In Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, the Mach Bike is required to access this area.

In Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, the Mach Bike is required to reach the tall grass within this area, while the Acro Bike is required to reach the long grass.

Area 4 is directly north of Area 1. This area can only be accessed with a Bike.

In Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, the Acro Bike is required to access this area.

In Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, the Acro Bike is required to reach the tall grass within this area, while the Mach Bike and Surf are required to reach the long grass.

Area 5 is directly east of Area 1. It is only accessible in Emerald, and only after the player has entered the Hall of Fame.

Area 6 is directly north of Area 5. It is only accessible in Emerald, and only after the player has entered the Hall of Fame.

Pokéblock feeders

In Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, there are Pokéblock feeders throughout the Safari Zone. The Pokéblock feeder will only have effect on grass patches and water tiles up to five steps away from the feeder; all wild Pokémon encountered in these tiles will have a Nature such that, if an identical Pokéblock were thrown at it, the Pokémon would be enthralled (or a random Nature if no such Nature exists). Only one Pokéblock may occupy a feeder, and the feeder's effect disappears after 100 steps are taken.

Safari Game

In Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, this Safari Zone is only accessible to Trainers participating in the Safari Game. In a Safari Game, players may only use Safari Balls; rather than weaken them in battle, players must use non-conventional tactics to try and catch wild Pokémon. There are four options on the battle screen: throw a Safari Ball, throw a Pokéblock, go near, and run away. Throwing Pokéblocks makes a Pokémon less likely to run, but makes it harder to catch; while going near does the reverse, making it easier to catch but more likely to run.

Players have to option to approach wild Pokémon to influence the catch rate of wild Pokémon to make them easier to catch, referred to as the "catch factor". Furthermore, there is an "escape factor", which represents the probability that a Pokémon will escape the following turn. At the start of an encounter, the catch factor starts at 100/1275 of the Pokémon's catch rate, rounded down (if this is lower than 1, this will be set to 1), while the escape factor starts at 3.

Depending on the action taken, the catch and escape factors are modified as follows (neither factor may increase to more than 20 nor decrease to less than 1):

Action

Catch factor

Escape factor

Go Near the first time

Increase by 3

Increase by 4

Go Near the second time

Increase by 2

Increase by 4

Go Near each subsequent time

Increase by 1

Increase by 4

Throwing a Pokéblock the first time, and the Pokémon is enthralled

No change

Decrease by 5

Throwing a Pokéblock the second time, and the Pokémon is enthralled

No change

Decrease by 3

Throwing a Pokéblock each subsequent time, and the Pokémon is enthralled

No change

Decrease by 2

Throwing a Pokéblock the first time, and the Pokémon is curious

No change

Decrease by 3

Throwing a Pokéblock the second time, and the Pokémon is curious

No change

Decrease by 2

Throwing a Pokéblock each subsequent time, and the Pokémon is curious

No change

Decrease by 1

Throwing a Pokéblock that the Pokémon completely ignores has no effect. A Pokémon is enthralled by a Pokéblock if its preferred flavor dominates its disliked flavor, while a Pokémon completely ignores it if its disliked flavor dominates its preferred flavor. If both preferred and disliked flavors are equal (including if neither are present), the Pokémon is curious about the Pokéblock.

If a player chooses to throw a Safari Ball, the catch factor is multiplied by 1275/100 (rounded down) to obtain the modified catch rate. At the end of a turn, a randomly generated value from 0 to 99 is obtained, and if this value is less than 5 times the escape factor, the Pokémon escapes.

These numbers translate to a 5% change in probability of escaping for every unit change (plus or minus 1) in the escape factor, with an initial 15% chance of escape; and approximately a 2.5% change in probability of capture for every unit change in the capture factor, with an initial capture probability of approximately catch rate/510 rounded down to the nearest multiple of 0.025 (2.5%), or 0.025 if it would be less.

"A desire to provide the children of the Hoenn region with a chance to encounter many Pokémon welled up inside of me and led to my decision to open here."

Chapter Two: Opening.

"From the very day we opened, a long line wound its way from the Safari Zone. It was a huge success. A desire to make more money off of it welled up inside of me and led to my decision to raise the price of admission."

Chapter Three: Bankruptcy.

"As a result of the higher admission prices, customers stopped coming to the Safari Zone. A desire to save my own hide welled up inside of me and led to my decision to flee under cover of night."

Chapter Four: Rebirth.

"After I had made my escape, the Safari Zone was reborn thanks to the support of some thoughtful people. A desire to pretend that I had never run away welled up inside of me and led to my decision to return to Hoenn."

Final Chapter: The Future.

"“Having made my return, I began working as a volunteer at the Safari Zone. A desire to express my happiness at having returned welled up inside of me and led to my decision to continue to take good care of Pokémon every day."